Gonzalez is a transient day laborer who rents rooms in Fullerton and Anaheim when he can afford it, Goodrich said. He said he did not know the immigration status of either man.

Gonzalez is suspected of beating Petrusiak to death with a piece of wood after accusing him of stealing two weeks earlier.

“They were acquaintances. I think they hung out and drank together,” Goodrich said.

Because both men were transients, police had a hard time identifying them. Some investigators recognized Petrusiak, who had been arrested for minor incidents and were able to positively identify him through fingerprints, Goodrich said.

An anonymous tip helped detectives identify a suspect, but then the investigators had to track him down. The investigators found Gonzalez in Anaheim Wednesday night, Goodrich said.